February 2023 Volunteer Round-Up

February 2023 Volunteer Round-Up

By Katie Zakrzewski

Our volunteers across the country have been hard at work in their chapters, in the media, and everywhere in between. This round-up provides a glimpse into the vast, expansive work that CCLers have done this month and do every month, and might give you an idea of some of the things that you can do as a CCLer too. We are so thankful for all of our CCLers.

Letters to the Editor

• A group of students from the CCL San Mateo Youth Chapter published this LTE in the San Mateo Daily Journal of California, calling for the preservation of funding for public transportation. The youths argued that this public transportation was pivotal in the climate movement as a way to reduce emissions. The youths involved in this op-ed include @Aran O'Sullivan, @Roisin McElarney, @Kayla Ling, @Abhik Singh, @Henry McDaniels, @Noor Zarrinnegar, and @Syum Mehra.
• CCLer @Rick DeMark wrote this LTE in the Laconia Daily Sun of New Hampshire about the importance of EN-ROADS as a powerful climate policy simulator. 

Conservatives make their voices heard

• This op-ed was written by CCLer @Kyle McIntyre, in conjunction with volunteers from the American Conservation Coalition (ACC) and RepublicEN, about the impact of conservative and moderate perspectives in the fight to mitigate climate change in Montana and the country as a whole.
• CCLer @Dan Oldman  was able to get his version of CCL’s conservative op-ed published in North Carolina under the title “NC conservative: I want more action from DC on climate change | Opinion.”

CCLers featured in various media

• The Wyoming Tribune Eagle interviewed CCL’s @Bill Barron  on the role that CCL and renewable energy play in making a difference in the Equality State.
• A CCLer and graduate student, Megan Quinn, recently gave CCL a shout-out in an interview with NPR Arizona. She said joining Citizens’ Climate Lobby showed her “how a group of people can move things at a lot faster pace and take a lot more action together, versus me as just an individual.”
• CCL staff members @Steve Valk  and @Dana Nuccitelli  appeared on an episode of the podcast “A Climate Change.”

Community outreach

• Flathead Valley CCLers, led by chapter leaders @Robin Paone , Angie Winter, and @Bret Luedke , recently led a “snowman protest” in Montana. The CCLers have been trying all sorts of unique activities to build up their chapter, but one of their latest activities, the snowman protest, has picked up steam across Montana. The tiny snowmen, built outdoors with snow and inside with paper, urge members of Congress to “protect our home” and use the hashtag “SnowFolks4Climate.”
• CCLer Mark Taylor was featured in this blog for all of his hard work in his CCL chapter and the environmental movement. A fellow CCLer said about Mark, “I was so impressed with his dedication over recent years that I donate to CCL monthly in his honor. Mark took a wide variety of folks he’d never met — except by Zoom — and focused us into a streamlined team. Mark Taylor knows how to lead.”
• CCLer @Norma Morrison was recognized in this blog post for all of her hard work earning CCL endorsements in her Carter County, Tennessee community.  
• CCL Utah State Coordinator @Thomas Moyer’s efforts to build relationships with new CCLers and legislators alike were highlighted in this blog post. “This event was an effort to engage the new CCLers that we’ve been getting,” Tom said. “We’ve had a lot of people joining with interest in the Great Salt Lake, so the purpose of this event was to help educate them about the causes of the problem while also building ties with our legislators.”

Conferences galore

• It’s conference season at CCL! We’re so thankful for all of our volunteers who plan to attend/have attended CCL’s regional conferences, CCL’s conservative conference, and CCL’s June conference!

Chapters making a difference

This month, we shined the spotlight on several CCL chapters:

• Silicon Valley does a lot more than tech — it's also rocking the climate advocacy game! "We are a small chapter in Silicon Valley with dedicated and energetic members," say group leaders @Abe Mazliach  and @Irmgard M Flaschka. "Our members work very hard on the success of events like Earth Day tabling, meeting with MOCs, writing LTEs, and working with young members of our community." Last year, the group lobbied Rep. Ro Khanna in support of the climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act. Now, Abe and Irmgard say, "We are writing LTEs, lobbying our representatives, and beginning projects on CCL's new policy directions." Awesome job, CCL Silicon Valley East!
• The Santa Cruz, California chapter of CCL has been hard at work educating the community about climate change. The chapter recently tabled at the Transit Equity Day event in their community. “A small group has mighty heft,” explains Santa Cruz chapter leader @Lynda Marin. “The deeply engaged few are so tenaciously hopeful, creative, tireless, and good-humored. We’ve engaged with the Monterey chapter to join us for really successful tabling events.” Great work, Santa Cruz!
• The Pasadena-Foothills chapter of CCL has been hard at work fighting climate change locally across California and on the national level. “We helped the Pasadena 100 coalition persuade the Pasadena City Council to pass a resolution directing the Pasadena Water and Power Utility to plan for 100% carbon-free energy by 2030,” says group leader @Sanford Krasner . “We are very involved with actions to fight climate change at a local level, as well as the federal level.” Sanford explains that he’s proud of his CCL chapter for the connections that they’ve made with other climate activists as they continue to do work at the local and federal levels. Great work, Pasadena-Foothills!

We are so thankful for all of our volunteers who do so much to make a difference in their communities!

Did you do something neat this month? Comment below! And don’t forget to add your hard work to our Action Tracker, or find your local chapter.